Fall of Paradice, Rise of Snagem
by Cyrus Esparda
Summary: That night was the end of peace in Orre, the beginning of a trainer's career, and the day a boy decided his path in life. Oneshot, Please Read and Review


**Fall of Paradice and the Rise of Snagem**

**Written By Cyrus Esparda**

Disclaimer: All pokemon in this fanfiction and the land of Orre are owned by the Pokemon Company. Roland McPheonix, all of the characters in this story, and Paradice City are owned by Me

Author's Notes: This story is a prequel to an upcoming fanfic that I am currently working on. Also, it helps me establish one of my favorite Pokemon OCs. So please enjoy and reply on what you liked or hated.

The dunes seemed to be endless thought the boy sitting in a brown truck driving along a lone black strip of road. Rolling away from the window, he rested his head onto his mother's white lab coat and closed his eyes to force his way to sleep.

"I still don't like the idea of raising our child in such a harsh environment, Mona." Said a brown haired man in dark green clothes driving the truck. "With the constant sandstorms and this Team Cipher I have been hearing about-"

"Don't worry about it Davis." Said the woman in the backseat, typing away at her hand held. "We're not going to live in some backwater town. We're going to be living in Paradice City."

"Paradise in a wasteland like this? I doubt it." Davis scoffed.

"Not Paradise, Paradice City." Mona corrected him. "It's an oasis in Orre, with a lake surrounding it, a large stone wall to protect its in habitants, and some high class pokemon trainers for guards. It's scientifically impregnable."

Davis snorted in reply and kept his eyes on the road. He could sense that something was wrong about moving here, he could feel it in his bones. With a large yawn, he saw something in the horizon. It was so big that could only be a city. All around it was a huge moat that pokemon were drinking from peacefully. Davis could only look in wonder at such a place in the middle of Orre. In his rearview window, he caught the coy smile from his wife and grumbled at her laugh.

Stopping in front of a lone guard, Mona showed her ID and he waved his hand to the people standing on top of the white wall. Lowering the drawbridge with a thunderous boom as it hit the ground, the young boy woke up with a jerk to see the beautiful city in front of him.

"Wow!" Said the young boy with a look amazement. He looked to his mother and asked her. "Is this where we're gonna live mama?"

"Yes Takuya." His mother smiled as she looked at the people and pokemon walking around like it has always been like this. "This is our new home."

_**::Act One Completed::**_

As Takuya's father brought in the last of the luggage into their apartment, the 8 year old boy was sitting on his bed and his were glued to the TV.

"Here we are at the Indigo League Championship, where last year's champion, the Dragon Master Lance Scott will defend his title against an unknown!" Said the Announcer with bright red hair, a big bow tie and an annoying voice to match. "And here comes his challenger."

A large man stomped into the middle of the ring and threw up his arm with a roar. "I AM CRASHA' WAKE!" He bellowed, getting a negative reaction from the people in the stands. "AND ONCE I WIN, YOU WILL ALL CHEER ME!" Flexing his muscles to the booing fans, Crasher noticed Lance walk over to him unintimidated and glared into his eyes.

A sudden gust of wind kicked up and as Crasher Wake wiped the sand out of his eyes to see that Lance vanished from sight.

"Wow! Lance Scott has just vanished from sight! Where could he be?" The Announcer said as he searched for any sign of the champion. "Could this be his way of surren-Wait, there he is!" Pointing to the sky above him, a orange blur came down from the skies and Crasher Wake fell back from its sheer force.

"And when I win, You're be on your fat back just like right now." Lance replied with the fans cheering for him.

The sudden shift on the bed broke Takuya's attention from the television to his father, who was sitting beside him. "So you like watching pokemon battles, right?" Takuya nodded and his father smiled. "Maybe when you're older, I might let you become a pokemon trainer."

"I don't think so." Said Mona, who was in the bathroom fixing her hair. "He's going to become a scientist like me. I don't want my boy out in the wild getting dirty like some Aipom." She walked out of the bathroom with her hair put up and grabbed Takuya's arm. "Do you want to see a cool rare pokemon?"

"Yeah!" Said Takuya with a grin. He took his mother's hand and walked out the door, with his father left alone in the room, deciding it would be best to get some sleep after such a long drive.

"I still have a bad feeling about this town." He mumbled as he began to snore.

_**::Act Three Completed::**_

Far away from the oasis known as Paradice City, in a hidden place known only as "The Under", a lone man was sitting in a chair leaning back looking off into the distance. He had dark brown hair kept in a neat haircut except for a single lock of hair that fell over his right eye. He wore a tattered red vest and black pants and a belt holding three black pokeballs. He sat in front of three men, two of which were standing beside the third, who was sitting a chair as well.

"We need to know if you are in or out!" Said a an old man who was rather round figure and had grey hair. "They say you are the best to ever set foot in Orre, so why not take the job and prove it?"

"...I'll do it if the price is right." Said the man in his early 30s. "Take it or leave it, because I will not do this for any less."

"You little!-" The man on his right with the strange mustache was about to reach for the man's neck but a black-scaled Charmeleon grabbed him right before it reached him. The brown haired man smiled tauntingly and stood up. "W-what are you doing?"

He leaned in closer and put his lips up to the old man's ear. "Now listen closely Evice, because I will only say this once." He said. "In case you forgot, I am one of the original members of Team Rocket and one of the best trainers on the planet. heh...I'm in for your little job, but I'll tell you something that I told Giovanni...without me, you are nothing."

Releasing Evice from his grip, he walked out of the door with his Charmeleon, which sported a purple flame on the end of his tail. The old man leaned over to Nascour and whispered something into his ear. "As soon as he gets us in, kill him." The blue-haired man nodded and walked out as well, taking the opposite route of Roland.

"I don't like having him around." Said Gonzap, his Hariyama standing at attention behind him. "He thinks he's better than us. Stupid foreigner."

"Yes but if this works, then Team Snagem will become a threat like never before." Evice replied. "We will supply you with our...special pokemon and you will follow the orders of Team Cipher."

"Yeah...but if my men are locked up because of your crazy plans, I'm only gonna be lookin' for you and only you." Gonzap snarled at Evice and they stared at each other for a moment before Gonzap walked away as well. Evice was left in his room as well to think. _'My three greatest pawns are now in place...'_ Thought the old man, leaning back in his recliner with a satisfied look on his face. _'Soon I shall have the prize I have long sought out for...Lugia.'_

_**::Act Four Completed::**_

"Wow! Is that really it?!" Asked a wide-eyed Takuya, looking up to see a giant white and black bird pokemon inside of a vat of blue liquid.

"Yes, that is the legendary pokemon Lugia." Said Mona as several scientists hurried around, their head buried in books. "We have been studying this pokemon and have learned that unlike regular pokemon, Lugia is able to hold conversations with humans and is very powerful."

"Momma, I wanna catch one of these pokemon when I become a trainer." Takuya told her mother.

"Pokemon trainer? Don't tell you actually want to really compete in the Pokemon Leagues." Mona asked her child. "8,000 children become pokemon trainers every year and only 200 of them actually make it to 8 badges and even less get a shot at the Elite Four. You should enroll in a pokemon university. Then you could be a pokemon researcher like me."

"But I don't wanna be a nerd. I wanna be a pokemon master!" Takuya replied.

"You must have gotten this from your father." Mona sighed. "But I'm sure that you will grow out of it. Now come along. It is getting late."

Holding her son's hand, the two left the facility and down the streets of Paradice City. The sun was beginning to set on the large white walls that defended the series. Standing atop the walls were guards and their pokemon, relaxing in chair with their eyes on the monitors.

"Hey guys did you feel that?" One of the guards asked, barging into the control tower.

"Feel what?" Another man in a guard suit, slightly more fatter in appearance, asked. "You're new right. I know how it feels to be iching for battle, ready to oppose all those that cause disharmony, but times have changed. Orre isn't filled with criminals or outlaws anymore. So why don't you sit down and have a cup of coffee?"

"I can't...something is wrong, I know it." The guard said. He noticed the cup of coffee in the older man's hand was rhythmically shaking, causing small ripples in the cup. Running outside, he barely saw it out of the cover of night. Something was flying towards them and someone was on top of it. "EVERYONE, BATTLE STATIONS!"

"Looks like we were finally spotted..." Said Roland atop his black Charizard. "Blackfyre, Flamethrower!" The black-scaled lizard pokemon sprayed the walls with her violet flames, scorching it completely black. "Now attack it with a Skull Bash!" Taking a wide turn in the arm, Blackfyre flew through the stone walls. Roland landed top of the thick walls in front of a pair of guards. The alarm began to sound and Roland was caught in the searchlights.

"Stop right there!" Said the guards, their pistols aimed at his head. "You have nowhere to run!"

Roland shrugged at the man casually. "Man...outnumbered and outgunned. I wish I thought about bringing backup..." Just then several giant holes were blasted through the walls by giant geysers of water. "Oh wait...I did." Said Roland as he leapt off the wall and onto his Charizard.

From the holes climbed ten Blastoises, destroying everything in site with their Hydro Cannons. In the midst of all of this chaos was Takuya and his parents.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Said Davis, standing in front of his wife and son.

"I don't think now is the best time to argue, honey!" Replied Mona. Behind the blastoises came an assortment of cutthroats, delinquents, and bandits rushed into the steal anything that wasn't bolted down. "How could this happen? Paradice was supposed to be impregnable!"

"It's because no one could suspect a close range attack with that moat around them." Davis answered as he and his Scyther kept the bandits at bay. "But who could bring water pokemon to Orre that can survive its intense heat?"

"I knew there would be no defense against a point blank attack from something as powerful as Blastoise." Roland spoke outloud as he counted his pokedollars. Stuffing the money safely into his vest pocket, Roland rolled off of his pokemon's back and landed in the middle of a group of guards. "What's up, oh protectors of the peace? Looks like you got your work cut out for ya."

"You!" Yelled one of the irate guards. "Thanks to you, the peace we have worked so hard for is gone! What do you have to say to explain yourself?!"

"Orre was never meant to tamed like Hoenn or Kanto." Pulling a cigarette from his pocket, he lit it and took a big puff as the soldiers began to get close to him. "And anyone who thinks that will be swallowed by this land's...darkness."

With a toothy grin, Roland faded into the blackness of the night until the only thing visible was the light on his cigarette until that too vanished. In its place was a huge red eye and a pair of fist that flew from the darkness and hit the two Arcanines that the guards were using.

"Is...that thing a pokemon?" One of the guards spoke out in fright. The pokemon vanished and the darkness began to recede back to take the form of Roland covered in black veins. "No...it is a demon! RUN!"

"Stand your ground!"

All of the guards stopped in mid flight as a single man flew down atop of a Pidgeot. He had wavy black hair, bright blue eyes, and a charismatic smile on his face. "We cannot be scared by such odds! Our destiny is to tame Orre and make it a place for our children to live in free!"

"Captain...Hiro!" The guards said in unison with tears in their eyes. "We're so sorry, captain!"

"It's alright guys." Hiro smiled and gave them the 'thumbs up' sign. "This won't be long." Turning towards Roland to continue his speech, He heard a loud bang and his bird pokemon suddenly threw him off in a fit of pain. "Pidgeot! Pidgeot, what's...You shot my pokemon!"

In Roland's hand was a small black firearm and a blank stare on his face. "...well, yeah I shot him."

"You can't do that! Only pokemon are allowed to battle!" Hiro yelled in reply.

"Sure I can! It's called cheating!" Roland's grin was ear to ear as a giant black fist flew from his chest and punched Hiro and his wounded pokemon. "Blackfyre, waste them!" From out of the night sky flew the black dragon pokemon with a wave of light violet flames across the ground, separating the two sides. "Catch ya later!"

As he ran past Takuya and his family, the young boy felt so helpless to stop him. _'If I had a pokemon...'_ He repeated in his mind over and over. _'If I only had a pokemon...I could stop this from happening!'_

Landing in front of Nascour and Evice, Roland took off the headband with the Team Snagem insignia on it and threw it at them. "Alright, my plan worked. Now let everyone out of here." Said Roland with his Blackfyre right beside him.

"Oh...but me and my boys are having too much fun to stop now." The old man replied. "Besides, you are a simple mercenary care about these lives?"

"Just call an old softy for women and children." Roland replied. "Now I am telling you to let the innocent go free."

"And why, pray tell, should I listen to you?" Evice asked with his hands on a black pokeball.

"Because you'll be too busy catching Lugia." Aiming his gun backwards, he fired off a round and a moment later, the largest building exploded in a bright rush of flames. A single white light came out of it like a lone fireworks in the sky that pierced through the smoke in the skies. The light took the form of a white, dragon-like pokemon that everyone stopped to see. "Sayonara sucka!"

Roland hopped onto his Charizard and flew into the starry night sky while Evice was fuming at his primary target flying away. "GONZAP! DO SOMETHING NOW!" He yelled into his communicator.

Gonzap heard the message (very) loud and clear and sent out a message to his men. "Forget the city! Snag that Lugia!" The bandits in the city grudgingly agreed and recalled their pokemon and hopping into their vehicles to give chase after the legendary pokemon.

"At least the land was secured and we will be known throughout the world." Nascour told his leader. "So this is not a total defeat..."

"Do you know how hard it will be to catch Lugia again?!" The old man snapped at his subordinate. He groaned in disgust and walked into the black car beside them. "Just get me out of here..."

As the last sounds of engines revving died out, the people of Paradice were left in a state of shock at what just happened.

_**::Act Five Completed::**_

5 Years passed from that day and young Takuya now sitting in the midst on top of a huge rock and looked up towards the sky. The desert sand that used to surround him was replaced with lush and vibrant trees.

"Hey, you see that kid over there?" said one of the kids in the town. "I heard he was there when Team Snagem took over that Paradice place."

"No way!" Another one of those children, rather fat in appearance. "I heard that Lugia blew it off the map!"

Takuya ignored what they said, knowing that they had no idea what it was like going through that. _'I'm gonna become a pokemon trainer and when I turn 15, join the pokemon rangers...'_ Takuya said in his mind with a determined expression on his face. _'I'll never be that defenseless again...'_

"Hey Takuya! Come on in! Dinner's ready!" The door opened and out came Takuya's dad, with his Scizor beside him and a pot of food in his hands.

"I'll be right there!" Hopping off the rock, he ran back into his house while atop a hill sat a man in his late 30s on his motorcycle with someone standing beside him. Taking off his shades to wipe his eyes, he noticed the boy and grin, recognizing the face. Beside him was a young girl in her mid teens with blood red hair and her own pair of orange goggles covering her eyes.

"Hey Roland, Is it true that you were there at Paradice City when Snagem first became famous?" The girl asked him.

"Man, that was so long ago." He replied, scratching his head. "Yeah...I was there...too bad Evice was an idiot. That organization had a good future if Giovanni ran it. Oh well, let's ride." The redheaded girl hopped onto his motorcycle and they sped off down the road with a shadow above them in the form of a giant dragon, eager to explore this new enigmatic land known as Mysterre.


End file.
